By this time, everyone had walked down the hillside, and under their feet was a stone road that meandered to a valley dozens of feet away. The day before, everyone walked up to Yuntai Mountain through here, because after knowing that they had walked out of this valley, they had already walked out of Yuntai Mountain.

Huiqing, Huijing and others were relieved to see that the Wuji Gatekeeper did not chase after them.

Li Qiufeng just thought about what Sun Guangming said, and was puzzled, and said: "This Li doesn't know, and I ask Mr. Sun to explain the reason." ”

Sun Guangming looked up at the sky and said leisurely: "Cao Bin overwhelmed Pan Mei and other famous generals, known as the first good general in the Northern Song Dynasty, which is really unique. This man is good at using soldiers, but he knows how to protect himself. When Song Taizu died unclearly, Taizong Zhao Guangyi became the emperor, for fear that others would say that he was not in the right position, so he wanted to recapture the sixteen states of Youyun and clamp down on everyone's mouth. In the third year of Yongxi, he ordered the Song army to attack the Liao State in three ways, which was the famous Yongxi Northern Expedition. At that time, Cao Bin was the commander of the Eastern Route Army, controlling Cui Yanjin, Mi Xin, Du Yangui and other generals, and the front of the troops was directed at Youzhou, which was actually the main force of the Three-Way Northern Expedition. With the general Tian Chongjin as the main general of the Central Route Army, he led his troops out of Feihukou to seize Ulzhou and other places, so that the Liao army could not enter the Taihang Mountains from the west, thus threatening the rear of the Eastern Route Army commanded by Cao Bin. The Western Route Army, with General Pan Mei as the main general and Yang Ye as the deputy general, led the troops out of Yanmen, first seized Yunzhou and other areas behind the mountains, and then assisted the Eastern Route Army in besieging Youzhou with the Middle Route Army.

"At the beginning of the Song army's attack, the momentum was like a bamboo, forcing the Liao army to retreat, and it was about to attack Youyun City. Who expected that the Song army would win first and then lose, especially Cao Bin's troops were defeated by the Liao general Yelu Xiuge at Qigou Pass, with heavy casualties and had to flee back to the territory of the Song State. The Central Route Army and the Western Route Army learned that the main force of the Song Army on the Eastern Route was defeated, and they did not dare to hang alone in the enemy's territory, so they had to retreat one after another, and the general Yang Ye died in this battle. ”

When Sun Guangming said this, he glanced at Li Qiufeng and said, "Li Daxia is on an errand in Jinyiwei, so he is naturally a person who is extremely literate and ink, and he knows a little about the Yongxi Northern Expedition?"

Li Qiufeng nodded and said, "For this war, Li also knows something. I remember that at the beginning of the Northern Expedition of the Song Army, it was indeed overwhelming. It's just that before sending troops, Zhao Guangyi instructed Cao Bin to make a huge posture and attack Youzhou along the way, but after sending troops, the march needs to be heavy and slow, and no greed for merit. The purpose of the Eastern Route Army was to contain the Liao army near Youzhou and buy time for the attack of the Central Route Army and the Western Route Army. After clearing the Liao army in Shanxi and the northern states of Youzhou, the three-way army gathered in Youzhou and won a complete victory. Xu Da, a famous general of our dynasty, once said that the tactics of the Yongxi Northern Expedition were to contain the front and outflank the back, and the commanders of the three armies had to be presided over by first-class generals in order to judge the situation and flexibly face the enemy. Otherwise, the armies of all roads are far apart, and if they stick to the rules and cannot respond to the situation of the battlefield, they will be defeated all the way, and the other two will be like an avalanche. Cao Bin was carried away by the victory of the first battle, thinking that the Liao army was insufficient, and even forgot Zhao Guangyi's orders, greedy for merit, and when he captured Zhuozhou, the Song army on the middle and west roads did not keep up, and Cao Bin could only stagnate in Zhuozhou, for a total of more than ten days. As a result, the army was not fed, and the general of the Liao army, Yelu Xiuge, approached again. Cao Bin panicked and had to lead the Song army to withdraw from Zhuozhou, wanting to go to Xiongzhou to get grain.

After Zhao Guangyi received Cao Bin's urgent report, he was so angry that he stomped his feet and said to the left and right, how can there be any reason for the enemy army to retreat to get food instead? Cao Bin's mistake will definitely be taken advantage of by the Liao army. He urgently ordered Cao Bin not to go to Xiongzhou, but to go along the Baigou River to join the Mi Xin Division, and wait for Pan Mei's Western Route Army to clear the Liao army, and then join forces to encircle Youzhou.

However, Cao Bin's generals heard that the Song army in the middle and west was frequently reported, but the Eastern Route Army, as the main attacking army, was lingering, and they were worried that they would not be able to make meritorious contributions, so they persuaded the commander Cao Bin that they did not have to wait for Pan Mei's Western Route Army, and the Eastern Route Army alone could take Youzhou. As the main general, Cao Bin couldn't convince his subordinates, maybe he himself wanted to lead the capture of Youzhou. He did not follow Zhao Guangyi's orders, but after meeting with Mi Xin, he led the army to attack Zhuozhou again.

When the commander of the Liao army, Yelu Huge, heard that the Song army on the East Road was advancing lightly, and he was overjoyed, and gathered all the Liao troops to prepare to encircle and annihilate the Song army on the East Road. At the same time, a small force of cavalry was sent to constantly harass the Eastern Route Army, focusing on fighting the lone Song soldiers. The Song army could not save itself, so they could only form a phalanx and dig trenches on both sides of the road while advancing slowly to prevent a sneak attack by the Liao cavalry.

At that time, the weather was hot, and Song Jun lacked drinking water all the way, so he could only find some muddy water to drink. It took more than 20 days to reach the city of Zhuozhou again. At this time, the Song army was already sleepy and lacking horses, and the grain they carried was about to run out. The rescue force of the Liao army was about to arrive in Zhuozhou, and the Song army was not only unable to attack the city, but also faced a large-scale attack by the main force of the Liao army, which had been recuperating for many days. In desperation, Cao Bin could only withdraw his troops from Zhuozhou. Yelu Hugo decisively sent troops to pursue the Song army and defeated the Song army at Qigou Pass. The defeated soldiers of the Song army fled desperately and had to cross the Juma River at night, and Yelu Hugo sent elite soldiers to pursue the Juma River by victory, and the Song army was defeated, and countless people drowned. Cao Bin and Mi Xin led the remnants of the army to flee to Yizhou, and when they were burying pots and cooking near the Shahe River, someone in the army suddenly shouted that the Liao soldiers had arrived. The whole army of the Song army collapsed, and it was chaotic without a fight, more than half of the dead and wounded and drowned, and the armor was abandoned like a mountain, and it is said that the corpses cut off the Shahe River.

Zhao Guangyi saw that the general trend had gone, so he had to order Cao Bin and Mi Xin to lead the remnants back to the Song realm. Subsequently, Tian Zhong entered Tunding Prefecture, Pan Mei withdrew to Daizhou, and Yongxi's Northern Expedition ended in a fiasco. Since then, the Song army has been unable to advance northward, and by the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, it no longer has the ambition to recapture the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. ”

When Li Qiufeng said this, he sighed and said: "Cao Bin is known as the first good general in the Northern Song Dynasty, but this battle is a big failure, and there is no order at all when advancing and retreating. It is said that Song Taizu thought that Cao Bin was serious, and he had the style of a famous general who collapsed in front of Mount Tai and remained unchanged, even if he was attacked by surprise, he would not be defeated. It's just that when I first met the elite of the Liao army commanded by Yelu Huge, it was almost crushed at the first touch, so panicked, it was really difficult to call him a good general. What's more, when Zhao Guangyi set the plan for the Northern Expedition, he wanted to use the Eastern Route Army to attract the main force of the Liao Army, and create opportunities for the Liao Army after the Song Army on the Middle Route and the Song Army on the West Route cleared the mountain. It's just that the Eastern Route Army commanded by Cao Bin was defeated, and although the Song Army of the Central and Western Routes won, it has become meaningless, but it is very easy to be cut off by the Liao Army to retreat, and the whole army must be annihilated. It was Pan Mei and Tian Chongjin who had to lead the army to retreat. The defeat of Yang Ye, the pioneer and general of the Song Army on the Western Road, was rooted in the defeat of Cao Bin. ”

By this time the crowd had entered the valley. In the afternoon, the sun was setting in the west, and the sunlight was blocked by the western slopes, making the valley very deep. The cold wind swept over the withered grass and dead trees at the top of the valley, and let out a whimpering hiss.

Sun Guangming heard Li Qiufeng accuse Cao Bin of behaving misheedly in the Yongxi Northern Expedition, but he didn't think so, and said with a smile: "Li Daxia only had this opinion after reading the books in the palace." However, according to Sun, I am afraid that Cao Bin is carrying the black pot for others. ”

Li Qiufeng was stunned, turned his head to look at Sun Guangming, and said, "I want to hear about it." ”

Sun Guangming said: "Cao Bin is the most important, among the founding generals of the Great Song Dynasty, he is famous for his prudence and caution, and he is quite the legacy of Zhuge Wuhou. Song Taizu Chen Qiao mutinied, the yellow robe was added, and there were many fierce generals under him. It's just that he lamented that the generals were domineering, and the tail was too big to fall, which often caused tragedy, so he was on guard against those arrogant generals. In the battle of Shu, Song Taizu still had the fierce general Wang Quanbin as the main commander, and most of his subordinates were old generals, all of whom were cruel and easy to kill. With Cao Bin as the capital supervisor, he assisted Liu Guangyi on the other way. After the city of Chengdu was broken, Wang Quanbin and other generals feasted and drank day and night, not sympathetic to the sergeants, and his subordinates kept fishing and robbing the people, and the Shu people felt deep pain. Cao Bin restrained his generals and did not hunt the people, and asked the class teacher many times, but Wang Quanbin and others did not listen. Soon Quan Shixiong and others rebelled, gathering an army of 100,000 people, which almost destroyed the Song army's attack on Shu. Cao Bin and Liu Guangyi defeated the rebels in Xinfan, and finally put down the Shu Rebellion. At that time, the generals took more jade silks for their children, and Cao Bin only had books and clothes in his outfit. After returning to the dynasty, Song Taizu handed over Wang Quanbin and others to the officials for punishment. It is believed that Cao Bin is honest and honest, and he was appointed as the envoy of the Southern Court of Xuanhui and the envoy of the Yicheng Army. Cao Bin entered the palace to see Song Taizu, refused the reward, and said that the soldiers of the expedition to the west were all punished, and I was rewarded alone, so I am afraid that I can't show exhortation. Song Taizu said: You have made great contributions, but you do not boast of your merits, even if you have minor mistakes, where is Wang Quanbin and others worth mentioning?

Later, Song Taizu conquered the Northern Han Dynasty and took Cao Bin as the former military capital supervisor, which took a fancy to his calm and serious temperament. When it was time to destroy the Southern Tang Dynasty, Cao Bin was the main commander, commanding the Song army to fight steadily and steadily, never advancing, and finally destroyed the Southern Tang Dynasty and captured Li Yu. Breaking Jinling City without killing the soldiers and the people, how many famous generals in ancient times can have such a mind?"

When Sun Guangming talked about the old things, his originally pale face had a little blood, and he was obviously quite excited in his heart. Li Qiufeng was secretly surprised in his heart, but he heard Sun Guangming continue: "Li Daxia might as well think about it, with Cao Bin's temperament, how could Yongxi make so many big mistakes during the Northern Expedition? Then they advanced and retreated, and the army was in vain, and when the army was marching, there was no order, and finally it led to a great defeat. Li Daxia, even if he is a reckless man who does not understand the art of war at all, I am afraid that he will not make such a big mistake, not to mention Cao Bin, a famous general who conquered Hou Shu, attacked the Northern Han, and destroyed the Southern Tang Dynasty? In September of the seventh year of Kaibao, Cao Bin was ordered to crusade against the Southern Tang Dynasty. He mobilized his troops and horses with great caution, and did not lead his army until October. The Song army never ventured forward, and put safety first, until the siege of Jinling, Cao Bin never took risks. Just imagine dealing with the weak enemy Nantang, he is so careful. But attacking the Liao State, which was ten times more powerful than the Southern Tang Dynasty, could it be that he became frivolous and impatient?"